VIDEO RELEASE: Governor Hogan Tours Baltimore Convention Center to Review COVID-19 Field Hospital Plans

Also Distributes Boxed Lunches at Greenmount Recreation Center, One of More Than 500 Meal Distribution Sites Across The State

ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan today visited Baltimore City to review ongoing efforts by the Maryland National Guard, the Maryland State Department of Education, the City of Baltimore, and the state’s health systems to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The governor was joined by Bernard C. “Jack” Young, Baltimore City Mayor; Maj. Gen. Timothy Gowen, Adjutant General of the Maryland National Guard; Ellington Churchill, Secretary of the Maryland Department of General Services; and Dennis Schrader, Maryland Department of Health’s Chief Operating Officer and Medicaid Director.

(Watch)

Field Hospital at Baltimore Convention Center

As part of the state’s hospital surge plan, Governor Hogan has ordered the establishment of a field hospital and alternate care site at the Baltimore Convention Center. The site, which is being leased by the State of Maryland through the Department of General Services, is being stood up by the Maryland National Guard. Medical care and daily operations will be managed jointly through a partnership with the University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins Medicine. The governor has requested that FEMA deliver 250 beds and 50 bed packages to support the initiative.

In total, the governor’s public health surge plan calls for adding up to 6,000 hospital beds across the state. The reopening of Laurel Hospital will make another 135 beds available, and a pilot assessment location at FedEx Field in Landover is being developed in partnership with the Maryland National Guard, the Maryland Department of Health, Prince George’s County, and the University of Maryland Medical System. 

Greenmount Recreation Center

Later, Governor Hogan and Mayor Young helped hand out boxed lunches at Greenmount Recreation Center, which has become a designated meal distribution site through the Maryland State Department of Education (MDSE). The Maryland National Guard is providing assistance and support at these sites throughout the city.

Following the closure of schools to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, MSDE has established more than 500 meal distribution sites to ensure students’ continued access to nutritious meals. These sites can be found at MdSummerMeals.org.

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